Sheet



B. F. RINDFLEISCH.

BLANK FEEDING MEANS FOR METAL WORKING MACHlNES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 19H. 1,315,41 latentedSept. 9,1919. ZSHEETSSHEET IN VENTOR ATTORNEY \\&

B. F. RINDFLEISCH.

BLANK FEEDING MEANS FOR METAL WORKING MACHINES.

APPLICA ION FILED APR. 4. IEJI].

PatentedSept. J, 1919.

Z SHEETS- SHEET 2 IHIHM.

VI EL N M h n BENJAMIN F. RINDFLJEISCH, 0F CLEVELAND, 'OHIO, ASSIGNOJR.TO THE NATIONAL ACME COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND,

OHIO, A CORPORATION'OF OHIO.

' BLANK-FEEDING MEANS FOR METAL-WORKING- MACHINES.

Application filed- April 4, 1917.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. BIND-FLEISCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in thecounty of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Blank- Feeding Means for Metal-Working Machines,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to metal working machines, more particularly toblank feeding means or magazines therefor the object of the inventionbeing to provide an improved blank feeding means or magazine for feedingblanks, such as round blanks like drills, taps, studs or other roundpieces that have to be machined, one of the objects of the inventionbeing to provide an improved magazine that will feed without clogginground blanks one at a time While permitting them to be piled in thehopper in bulk, one on top of another.

In the present improvement, a great num ber of blanks or pieces can bepiled into the hopper and yet the weight thereof will notclog thefeeding mechanism of the magazine, and will not interfere with thefeeding of the blanks one at a time, since the magazine is soconstructed that there is no pressure downward on the blank being fedfrom the other blanks or pieces in the hopper so that each blank is freeto drop without any friction or cramping; and while the improvement isof a very simple character, nevertheless it obviates the diflicultieswhich manufacturers,-particularly drill manufacturers,--have had infeeding drill blanks through automatic machines for milling. Manydifferent schemes and devices have been gotten up for feeding blanks,but in all instances the blanks frequently clog the machine, largely dueto thefact that where a hopper is used the blank to be fed is alwaysunder pressure due to the weight of the other blanks above it in thehopper. In the present improvement, hpwever, this pressure on the blankto be fed is eliminated. In short, the weight of the blanks in thehopper is entirely removed from the blank to be fed, so that the feedingmechanism operates smoothly and effectively. In other words, in actualuse, the present improvement has never failed to properly and smoothlyoperate.

In the present instance this improved magazine feeding means is appliedto a stud Specification of Letters Patent.

, and described Patented Sept. 9, 1919. Serial No. 159,607.

threading machine similar to that shown in the contemporaneously pendingapplication of Smith and Rindfleisch, Serial Number 161,723, filed April13, 1917, and which application more particularly illustrates in detailthe manner of attaching the magazine to the bed of the machine wherebyit will be in position to properly cooperate with the threading die andthe work carrying spindle or chuck.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is an end or side view of this improved magazine feeding means,the bed' of the machine being shown in section and the driving or camshaft of the machine likewise shown in section; Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthis improved magazlne feeding means and so much of a stud threadingmachine as it is necessary to illustrate in order to show theapplication of the improvement thereto; Fig. 3,-is a' perspective detailview of the blank'slide; and Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken online 4-4 Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawing This improved magazine feeding meanscomprises in the preferred form thereof herein shown a blank receivinghopper 2 which in the present instance comprises a pair of side piecesor members 3. and 4, each having a pair of-inclined lower edges 5 and 6.The sides 3 and 4 are spaced apart the required distance according tothe length of the blanks and secured together at their ends by means ofdetachable bushings 7 and bolts 8 The distance these sides 3 and 4 arespaced apart can thus be varied by putting in different lengths ofbushings so as to bring the sides .is not material so long as it is ofsuflicien't angle to allow the blanks to roll toward the center fromeach end of the hopper. The inner lower ends of the rails 10 arerecessed asat 12, the depth of these recesses losing sufficient to allowat least two blanks or pieces of the work to roll under the projectingportion 13 of the recesses. These recesses form, a relief space so thatwhen the magazine is filled'or partly filled with blan-ks as shown in Fig. 1, the pressure of the blanks in the hopper will not be upon the twoblanks a and b that are in this relief space. The magazine is fastenedto the stud threading machine by means of pins 14.and a bolt 15 (seeFig. 2), the pins 14 projecting into holes 16 in one side of the hopperas the side 3, and by removing the pins and inserting them in differentholes, the magazine may be adjusted vertically. Directly under thebottom or mouth of the magazine hopper is housed in a suitable recessformed in the top of the bed 17 of the machine, a slide plate 18 havinga slot 19 therethrough sufiiciently, wide to allow a blank that is to bemachined to drop into it and through it at the proper time, Theunderside of the magazine immediately under the relief space 12 is alsoprovided with a slot of sufficient width to receive as many of theblanks as may be in the relief space 12. The slots 19 of the slide plateand in the bottom of the magazine, as well as the relief space 12 varyaccording to the size of the work to be fed. In other words, when alarger or smaller piece of work is to be fed than that shown, the slideplate is changed and the rails 10 are changed to accord with the size ofblank that is to be fed. The slide plate 18 is secured to a slidingmember 20 located in a guideway or recess 21 of the machine bed, and tothis sliding member is pivotally secured a rearwardly extending lever orarm 22 to which is pivotally secured as at 32 a lever 24, the lower endof which is provided with a roll 25 in position to engage cams 26carried by a cam drum 27 located on the'shaft 28 of the machine, theroll 25 being held in engagement with the cam by a spring 29. In thelever 22, three stations or openings 30, 31 and 32 are machined andthese stationsare connected by a groove or slot 33. In Fig. 1 thestations are shown in the form of openings while the groove is shown inthe form of a slot, while in Fig. 4 the stations are shown in the formof an opening which does not project through the member 22. Either formcould be used so long as the opening shown at 30 is less than thelargest diameter of the pointed end of the pin 34. In the presentinstance the upper end of the lever is-shown connected to the lever 22at the central station 32 by means of a housed spring pressed plunger orpin 34 (see Fig. 4)

carried by the upperend of the lever 24. The lever 24 is pivoted to asuitable bracket 35 of the machine. When the cam on the cam drum 27shifts the lever so as to move the slide to the right, the spring 29will of course return the slide to the left when the In Fig. 1 the leveractuated slide 18 is shown in its forward or right hand position, ablank 0 having been deposited thereby into the bore of the work spindle50, into which it drops freely from the slot 19 of the slide without anyinterference or pressure from any of the other pieces that are in themagazine. On the return of the slide reanvardly or to the left eitherone of the pieces or blanks a or b that is in the release space 12 ofthe hopper is free to drop into the slot 19 of the slide as the slidepasses rearwardly or to its initial position, so that as the slide movesforward or to the right the blank,

which is dropped into the slot 19, will drop therefrom into the workspindle in readiness to be shifted forward to be threaded.

The purpose of the three stations, 30, 31 and 32 hereinbefore referredto is to pre vent the breakage of any part of the operating means incase of accident. If for some unforeseen reason one of the blanks clogsor drops partly into the slot 19 of the slide 18 with a part thereofstill remaining in the magazine hopper, the extra strain forces theplunger 34 of the lever 24 out of the middle station or operatingstation and allows it to slide forward to the station 30, thuseliminating breakage of the lever 34, and if after the slide hastraveled through its loading position where it carries the piece of workto the spindle and becomes clogged on its return movement, the leverwould slip out of the center station and pass over into the outer or endstation 31, thus again preventing breakage of the parts.

From the foregoing it will be observed that in the present improvementthe blanks are received successively from a receiving or pressurerelieving space of the hopper by the slide on its movement to the leftor rearwardly and then fed forward and deposited in the wprk spindle asthe slide moves to the right, so that the blanks are received by theslide without being cramped or held under pressure due to the weight ofthe other blanks in the hopper, so that they are free to drop into theslot of the slide and free to drop therefrom into the Work spindlewithout any friction or cramping, and be gripped by suitable grippingmechanism.

The blank carrying or work spindle 50 is usually provided with a rod 51and suitable feeding mechanism 52 for pushing forward the blank after itis dropped into the work spindle into position to be threaded by asuitable threading die, all of which parts are more clearly shown indetail in the application hereinbefore referred to, and there fore it isdeemed unnecessary to show or (le scribe the same more fully herein.

I claim as my invention:

1.,In a blank feeding means, the combination of a blank receivlng hopperprovided with a relief space for a. blank or blanks to relieve the samefrom the weight of all other blanks, said relief space being open at itsbottom, and shiftable means for clos' ing said bottom and shiftable topermit blanks to drop from said relief space.

2. In a blank feeding means, the com'bi' nation of a blank receivinghopper provided with a. relief space for a blank or blanks to relievethe same from the weight of all other blanks, said relief space beingopen at its bottom, and shiftable means for closing said bottom andshiftable to permit blanks to drop fromsaid relief space, said shiftablcmeans constructed to receive and feed the blanks from such relief space.

3. In a blank feeding means, the combi nation of a blank receivinghopper provided with a relief space for a blank or blanks to relieve thesame from the weight of all other blanks, said relief space being openat its bottom, and shiftable means for closing said bottom and shiftableto permit blanks to drop from said relief space, said shiftable meansconstructed toreceive and feed the blanks from such relief space andcomprising a slide having arslot for the reception of only one blank ata time from the relief space.

4. In a. metal working machine the com bination of a work spindle havingan open ing in the top side thereof, a blank receiv' ing hopper having arelief space, a slide shift-able above the work spindle and below therelief space and adapted to receive a blank from the relief space of thehopper and discharge the same into the work spin dle, and means foroperating the slide.

5. In a metal working machine the com bination of a work spindle havingan open ing in the top side thereof, a blank receiv' ing hopper having arelief space, a slide shiftable above the work spindle and below therelief space and adapted to receive a blank from the relief space of thehopper and discharge the same into the work spin dle, and means foroperating the slide comprising a cam and a lever, the latter releas'ably connected with the slide.

6. A blank magazine feeding means com prising a hopper, a slide forreceiving and delivering a blank therefrom, and means for operating theslide and including a lever slidingly connected to the slide andautomatically shiftable from one position thereon to another in theevent of extra strain on the operating parts thereby to prevent breakage thereof.

7. A blank magazine feeding means com prising a hopper, a slide forreceiving and discharging a blank therefrom and having a plurality ofstations means for shifting the slide and comprising a lever, and aspring actuated pin for releasably connect ing the lever with any one ofseveral sta" tions of the slide.

8. A magaz ne feedlng means comprising a hopper, a slide and means foroperating the slide and including a lever, and means for connecting thelever to the slide, said leverbeing automatically shiftable from oneposition to another relatively to said slide in the event of extrastrain on the operating parts there thereof.

9. A magazine feeding means comprising ahopper, a slide and means foroperating the slide and including'a lever, and means for releasablyconnecting the lever y to prevent breakage in different positions of theslide and combination of a stock or work carrying spindle having anopening in the top side thereof, a hopper located thereabo-ve and havinga. relieved portion for the reception of one or more blanks, a slideworking between the relief portion and the work spindle and having aslot for the reception of a blank, and means for operating the slide andhaving a releasable connection therewith.

12. A blank feeding magazine comprising a: hopper consisting of a pairof adjustable sides to vary the width of the hopper, and means forreceiving and feeding a blank therefrom, said hopper having a relievedspace for the reception of a blank to be fed, the length of the relievedspace being varied by adjusting the sides. 1

13. A blank feeding magazine comprising a hopper consisting of a pair ofadjustable sides to vary the width of the hopper, and means forreceiving and feeding a blank therefrom, said hopper sides havinginclined guide members provided with a relieved space for the receptionof a blank to be fed and said feeding means including a slide having aslot for the reception of the blank to be fed, the length of therelieved. spacebeing varied by adjusting'the sides.

14. A magazine comprising a hopper having inclined blank carrying means,the inclined blank carrying means at one side having a projectionforming thereunder a blank receiving space for a predetermined number ofblanks, said projection receiving the weight of the blanks in the hopperand relieving the blanks in said space from such weight.

15. A magazine comprising a hopper having removable inclined blankcarrying means, the inclined blank carrying means at one side having ablank receiving space for a predetermined number of blanks, said lastinclined blank carrying means being removable to permit the substitutionof a blank carrying means adapted to receive a different size of blankin said receiving blanks dropping through the slot of the slide, andmeans for shifting the slide.

17. In a metal working machine, the combination of a hopper having adetachable means provided With a blank relieving space open at itsbottom to permit blanks to drop therefrom, a detachable slide forclosing said space at its bottom and having a slot for the passagetherethrough of a blank, a detachalble work spindle for receiving blanksdropping through the slot of the slide, and means for shifting theslide, the blank receiving portions of said three detachable partscorresponding for one size of blank and the detachability of saidthree.parts permitting the substitution of other similar partsconstructed however to receive a different size of blank.

18. Blank feeding means for a metal Working machine comprising means forreceiving a number of blanks and means for relieving one or more blankswhile in the blank receiving means from the weight of 48. all companionblanks, the pressure of companion blanks, without the intervention ofany shiftable mechanism, alone serving to shift said relieved blanksinto that position where the weight of such companion blanks in theblank receiving means will be removed therefrom, and means fordelivering a blank from which the weight has been relieved.

19. Blank feeding means for a metal working machine comprising means forreceiving a number of blanks and means for relieving one or more blankswhile in the blank receiving means from the weight of all companionblanks, the pressure of companion blanks, without the intervention ofany shiftable mechanism, alone serving to shift .said relieved blanksinto that position-where the weight of such companion blanks in theblank receiving means will be removed therefrom, and means fordelivering a blank from which the weight has been relieved andcomprising a slide and means for 'actuating it.

20. Blank feeding means for a metal working machine comprising a hopperadapted to receive a number of blanks and having an open bottomterminatin at one side thereof in a relief space for a lank or blankswhich While in said space will be relieved from the weight of all otherblanks, a bed below said bottom and having means for receiving a blankfrom said relief space, and shiftable means located between said bed andthe bottomof said hopper and relief space for closing the same andoperative to open the bottom of the relief space thereby to permit ablank to be fed therefrom into the receiving means of the bed.

21. Blank feeding means for a metal working machine comprising a hopperadapted to receive a number of blanks and having an open bottomterminatin at one side thereof in a relief space for a lank or blankswhich while in said space will be relieved from the weight of all otherblanks, a bed below said bottom and having means for receiving a blankfrom said relief space, and shiftable means located between said bed andthe bottom of said hopper and relief space for closing the same andoperative to open the bottom of the relief space thereby to permit ablank to be fed therefrom into the receiving means of the bed, saidshiftable means comprising a slide having a slot therein for the passagetherethrough of a blank from the relief space to said bed receivinmeans.

22. lank feeding means for a metal working machine comprising anadjustable hopper adapted to receive a number of blanks and having anopen bottom terminatin at one side thereof in a relief space for a b ankor blanks which while in said space will be relieved from the weight ofall other blanks,

a bed below said hopper, shiftable means located between said bedand thebottom of said hopper and relief space for closing the same andoperative to open the bottom of the relief space thereby to permit ablank to be fed therefrom, and means for adjusting said hoppervertically relatively to the bed.

23. Blank feeding means for a metal working machine comprising blankreceiving means adapted to hold a number of blanks, said'receiving meanshaving means for relieving the pressure on one or more blanks while insuch receiving means, a

.work spindle having an openin in the top side thereof, and means forelivering a blank from which the pressure has been relieved from thereceiving means to the work spindle.

24. Blank feeding means for a metal working machine comprising blankreceiving means adapted to hold a number of blanks, said receiving meanshaving means for relieving the pressure on one or more blanks while insuch receiving means, a work spindle having an openin in the top sidethereof, and means for elivering a.

- Lemme spindle and comprising a slide.

a 25.. Blank -feeding means for a metal working machine comprising blankreceiving .means adapted to hold a number of blanks, said receivingmeans having means for relievingthe pressure on one or more blanks whilein such receiving means, a work spindle having an openin in the topelivering a spindle and comprising a slide having a slot thereinconforming to the size of the blank to be delivered.

26. Blank feeding means "for a metal working machine comprisingblank.receiving means adapted to hold a numberof vblanks, said receivingmeans having means for relieving the pressure on one or more blanks"while in such receiving means, a

1 work spindle having an opening in the top .--'side thereof, and meansfor delivering a blank from which the pressure has been relievedfrom thereceiving means to the work spindle and comprising a slide having a slottherein conforming to the size of. the

1 blank to be delivered and effective to receive a blank from thereceiving means on the movement of the slide in one direction and-todischarge it into the work spindle on the movement of the slide in theopposite l direction. ,3 5

. 27. Blank feeding means for a metal 5 work ng machine comprising blankreceivtop side thereof, means for delivering a blank from which thepressure has been re- -ing means adapted to hold a number of blanks,said receiving means having means for relieving the pressure on one ormore blanks while in such receiving means, a work spindle having anqpemngl in the lieved from the receiving means to the work spindle andcomprising a slide having a slot therein conforming to the size of theblank to be delivered and efiective to receive a blank from thereceiving means on the movement of the slide in one direction and todischarge it into the work spindle on themovement of the slide in the opositedirection and means for operating t e shde and releasably connectedtherewith to permit P jection and a relief spacethereun er for a teen.

blank, the said projection bein effective to relieve a blank or blanksin said space from the weight of the blanks thereabove.

29. In a metal workin machine, the combination of a work spin le havingan opening in the top side thereof, a blank receiving hopper locatedthereabove and comprising opposed inclined blanksupporting means spacedat their lower ends to form a as sageway for the blanks, the lower on ofone inclined means being higher than the other and having a recessextending to the rearward of its forward edge thereby forming aprojection and a relief space thereunder fora blank or blanks, the saidforward edge being eflective to relieve a blank ceive a blank from therelief space of the hopper and "discharge the same into the workspindle, and means for operating said.

slide.

30. Blank feeding means for a metal work: ingmachine comprising anadjustable hop- .per adapted to receive a number of blanks and having anopen bottom terminatin at one side thereof in a relief space for a b ankor blanks which while in said space will be relieved from the weight ofall other blanks,

a bed below said hopper, shiftable means located between said bed andthe bottom of said hopper and relief space for closing the same anoperative to open the bottom of the relief spacethereby to permit ablank to befed therefrom, and means for adjusting said hopper verticallyrelatively to the bed and comprising insertible pins and a plurality ofdifierently positioned holes, the

pms and holes being carried one by the bed and the other by themagazine.

,31. Blank feeding means for a metal working machine comprising ablankreceiving means constructed to guide the I blanks'toward a commonpoint, said blank receiving*means having. adjacent to said common pointa blank receiving space for the rec'eptionof a blank-or blanks, whichwhen in said space is still in contact with a companion blank butrelieved from the weight of all companion blanks, the pres- ,sure'of theblanks in said receiving means alone forcing a blank or blanks into saidrelief space.

- Signed n savanna, Ohio, this 29th day of March, one thousandninehundred sevenr: nmnrnnrson.

